Method for Controlling Sprayer, Control Program for Sprayer, and Sprayer

Abstract

To provide a control method of a spreader in which a matter to be spread is easily spread as planned, a control program of the spreader, and a spreader.SOLUTION: Provided is a control method of a spreader, the spreader including a machine body that can automatically travel along a target path, and a plurality of spreading nozzles 41 that are supported by the machine body and spread a matter to be spread at least during automatic travel of the machine body. The control method includes: setting at least some of the spreading nozzles 41 and determining whether clogging is generated in a target to be monitored; and aborting spreading of the matter to be spread when clogging is generated in the target to be monitored.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control method for a spraying machine capable of spraying a spraying material during automatic driving, a control program for the spraying machine, and the spraying machine.

Background Art

[0002] As related art, a spraying machine (agricultural work vehicle) including a traveling unit (crawler traveling unit) including a pair of crawlers arranged in the left-right direction, a machine body (left vehicle body and right vehicle body), an engine, and a spraying nozzle (chemical injection unit) is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the spraying machine according to the related art, the pair of crawlers of the traveling unit travel while sandwiching a plant, which is an object to be sprayed, in the left-right direction. The left vehicle body in the machine body is mainly supported by the left crawler. The right vehicle body in the machine body is mainly supported by the right crawler. The engine is arranged on the left vehicle body side.

[0003] In the spraying machine according to the related art, the spraying nozzles are provided on each of the left vehicle body and the right vehicle body. Each spraying nozzle sprays chemicals on both the right side and the left side. Thereby, the spraying machine according to the related art can simultaneously spray chemicals on a plant passing between the pair of left and right crawlers, a plant located on the left side of the spraying machine, and a plant located on the right side of the spraying machine. This spraying machine can spray chemicals on plants while performing automatic driving (autonomous driving) based on the current position and the autonomous driving route.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the related art described above, when the spraying operation of the sprayed material (chemical agent) is continued with the spray nozzle clogged, there is a possibility that the automatic running of the sprayer ends without the sprayed material being sprayed as planned.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a control method for a sprayer, a control program for a sprayer, and a sprayer that facilitate spraying of a sprayed material as planned.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A control method for a sprayer according to an aspect of the present invention is a control method for a sprayer including an airframe capable of automatically running along a target path and a plurality of spray nozzles supported by the airframe and spraying a sprayed material at least during the automatic running of the airframe. The control method includes determining whether or not clogging has occurred in at least a part of the plurality of spray nozzles as a monitoring target, and stopping the spraying of the sprayed material when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target.

[0008] A control program for a sprayer according to an aspect of the present invention is a control program for a sprayer for causing one or more processors to execute the control method for the sprayer.

[0009] A sprayer according to an aspect of the present invention includes an airframe, a plurality of spray nozzles, a determination processing unit, and a spraying processing unit. The airframe is capable of automatically running along a target path. The plurality of spray nozzles are supported by the airframe and spray a sprayed material at least during the automatic running of the airframe. The determination processing unit determines whether or not clogging has occurred in at least a part of the plurality of spray nozzles as a monitoring target. The spraying processing unit stops the spraying of the sprayed material when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a control method for a sprayer, a control program for a sprayer, and a sprayer that facilitate spraying of a sprayed material as planned.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 7

Figure 8

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Figure 10

Figure 11

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Figure 14

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are examples that embody the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0013] (Embodiment 1) [1] Overall configuration First, the overall configuration of the sprayer 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In the present embodiment, the sprayer 1 performs a spraying operation of spraying a spray such as a chemical solution, water, or fertilizer on a crop V1 (see FIG. 2) grown in a field F1. This sprayer 1 is an example of a "working machine" that performs various operations within a work target area such as the field F1.

[0014] That is, the sprayer 1 is a working machine capable of performing a spraying operation of spraying a spray such as a chemical solution, water, or fertilizer as work. The "working machine" referred to in the present disclosure includes, in addition to the sprayer, working vehicles such as tractors, rice transplanters, sprayers, seeders, transplanting machines, and combines. That is, the working machine includes working vehicles. The working machine is not limited to a "vehicle" and may be, for example, a working flying object such as a drone or a multicopter for spraying a chemical solution, water, or fertilizer. Further, the "working machine" referred to in the present disclosure is not limited to agricultural machinery (agricultural machines) and may be, for example, construction machinery (construction machines).

[0015] Also, the "field" referred to in the present disclosure is an example of a work target area where various operations such as a spraying operation are performed while the sprayer 1, which is a working machine, moves, and includes an orchard for growing agricultural products, a pasture, a paddy field, and a field. In this case, the crop V1 grown in the field F1 is an agricultural product. Further, when growing plants in a flower bed, the flower bed becomes the field F1, and when growing trees that become timber in a forest as in forestry, the forest becomes the field F1. In this case, the crop V1 grown in the field F1 is a plant or a tree. However, the work target area where the working machine performs work is not limited to the field F1 and may be outside the field F1. For example, if the working machine is a construction machine, the site where the construction machine performs work becomes the work target area.

[0016] In this embodiment, as an example, the spraying machine 1 is a vehicle that moves in a field F1 such as an orchard of fruit trees such as a vineyard or an apple orchard, and sprays a chemical solution onto a crop V1 grown in the field F1. In this case, the chemical solution is an example of a sprayed material. Further, the crop V1 is an example of a spraying target object onto which the sprayed material (chemical solution) is sprayed, and is, for example, a fruit tree of grapes. The crop V1 as the spraying target object is also an example of a work target object that is the target of the work by the spraying machine 1 as a work machine. The "chemical solution" as the sprayed material here is an agricultural chemical used for improving agricultural efficiency or preserving agricultural crops, and includes herbicides, bactericides, mildew-proof agents, insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides, growth promoters and germination inhibitors of the crop V1, and the like.

[0017] The crops V1 are arranged in a plurality of rows at a predetermined interval in the field F1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of crops V1 are planted linearly side by side in the vertical direction A1 in plan view. The plurality of crops V1 arranged linearly in the vertical direction A1 constitute a crop row Vr1. FIG. 3 illustrates three crop rows Vr1 each including six crops V1 arranged in the vertical direction A1. Each crop row Vr1 is arranged at a predetermined pitch W1 in the width direction A2. As a result, there is a width W2 (<W1) corresponding to the interval between the adjacent crop rows Vr1 between the adjacent crop rows Vr1, and a work passage extending along the vertical direction A1 is formed. The spraying machine 1 sprays the sprayed material (chemical solution) onto the crops V1 while moving (traveling) in the vertical direction A1 through this work passage.

[0018] Although details will be described later, the spraying machine 1 traveling in the field F1 includes a machine body 10 having a gate shape. That is, the machine body 10 has a first block 10L and a second block 10R arranged side by side in the left-right direction D2, and a connecting portion 10C that connects the upper end portions of the first block 10L and the second block 10R. Thereby, the machine body 10 constitutes a gate shape surrounding the left, right, and upper three sides of the space Sp1 by the first block 10L, the second block 10R, and the connecting portion 10C. That is, a space Sp1 opened in the front-rear direction D3 is formed inside the machine body 10.

[0019] Furthermore, the spraying machine 1 includes a traveling unit 11 having a pair of crawlers 111L and 111R arranged in the left - right direction D2. The pair of crawlers 111L and 111R are respectively provided at the lower parts of the first block 10L and the second block 10R, and are located on both sides in the left - right direction D2 with respect to the space Sp1.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, while the spraying machine 1 travels in a posture straddling one crop row Vr1 with the machine body 10 formed in a portal shape, it is possible to spray a spraying material (chemical solution) onto the crop V1 in this crop row Vr1 and the crop V1 in the crop row Vr1 adjacent to this crop row Vr1. In other words, the spraying machine 1 can travel so as to pass the crop V1, which is the object to be sprayed (the object to be worked on), through the space Sp1 inside the machine body 10 formed in a portal shape. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 2, when there are three crop rows Vr11, Vr12, and Vr13 arranged in the left - right direction D2, the spraying machine 1 can travel straddling any one of these three crop rows Vr1 with the machine body 10.

[0021] Here, if the machine body 10 straddles the central crop row Vr12, the first block 10L travels on the working passage between the left - most crop row Vr11 and the crop row Vr12, and the second block 10R travels on the working passage between the right - most crop row Vr13 and the crop row Vr12. Then, the spraying machine 1 can simultaneously spray the spraying material (chemical solution) onto the crop V11 in the crop row Vr11, the crop V12 in the crop row Vr12, and the crop V13 in the crop row Vr13. Thus, the spraying machine 1 according to the present embodiment can simultaneously spray the spraying material (chemical solution) onto the objects to be sprayed (crops V1) for three rows during travel, so the efficiency of the spraying operation is better than the configuration of spraying one row at a time.

[0022] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as an example, the spraying machine 1 is a drone that operates by autonomous driving without being operated by a person (operator) (including remote operation). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the spraying machine 1 constitutes an autonomous driving system 200 together with an operation terminal 201, a server 202, a base station 203, a satellite 204, and the like. In other words, the autonomous driving system 200 includes the spraying machine 1, the operation terminal 201, the server 202, the base station 203, and the satellite 204. However, at least one of the operation terminal 201, the server 202, the base station 203, and the satellite 204 may not be included in the components of the autonomous driving system 200. For example, the autonomous driving system 200 may not include the satellite 204.

[0023] The spraying machine 1, the operation terminal 201, and the server 202 can communicate with each other. "Communicable" as used in this disclosure means that information can be exchanged directly or indirectly via a communication network (network) or a repeater, etc. by an appropriate communication method such as wired communication or wireless communication (communication using radio waves or light as a medium). For example, the spraying machine 1 and the operation terminal 201 can communicate via the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a public telephone line, a mobile phone line network, a packet line network, or a wireless LAN. Also, each of the spraying machine 1 and the operation terminal 201 can communicate with the server 202 via the Internet or the like.

[0024] The satellite 204 is a positioning satellite that constitutes a satellite positioning system such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and transmits GNSS signals (satellite signals). The base station 203 is a reference point (reference station) that constitutes the satellite positioning system. The base station 203 transmits correction information for calculating the current position of the spraying machine 1 to the spraying machine 1.

[0025] The spraying machine 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a positioning device 2 that detects the current position (latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.) and the current orientation, etc. of the machine body 10. The positioning device 2 uses GNSS signals transmitted from satellites 204 to execute positioning processing for specifying (calculating) the current position and the current orientation, etc. of the machine body 10. The positioning device 2 adopts a relatively high-precision positioning method such as RTK (Real Time Kinematic) positioning that performs positioning based on, for example, positioning information (GNSS signals, etc.) received by two receivers (base station 203 and antenna 21) and correction information generated by the base station 203.

[0026] The operation terminal 201 is an information processing device such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone, for example. The operation terminal 201 includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various types of information, and an operation unit such as a touch panel, a mouse, or a keyboard that accepts operations. The operator can perform operations to register various types of information by operating the operation unit on the operation screen displayed on the display unit. Further, the operator can perform operations such as a work start instruction and a travel stop instruction for the spraying machine 1 by operating the operation unit.

[0027] The server 202 is an information processing device such as a server device. The server 202 transmits information such as a target route for automatically driving the spraying machine 1 to the spraying machine 1.

[0028] And the spraying machine 1 can automatically travel (autonomously travel) along a preset target route. For example, the spraying machine 1 automatically travels along a target route including a plurality of work routes and movement routes from the work start position to the work end position. The plurality of work routes are each linear routes along which the spraying machine 1 performs work (spraying work) on the crop V1 that is the work object (spraying object), and the movement route is a route along which the spraying machine 1 moves between the crop rows Vr1 without performing spraying work and may include a turning route and a straight-ahead route.

[0029] Further, the spreader 1 travels automatically in a predetermined row order. In the example of FIG. 2, the spreader 1 travels across the crop row Vr11, then across the crop row Vr12, and then across the crop row Vr13. In this way, the spreader 1 travels automatically according to the preset order of the crop rows Vr1. The spreader 1 may travel one row at a time in the arranged order of the crop rows Vr1, or may travel every other multiple rows.

[0030] Also, in the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 1, the vertical direction in the state where the spreader 1 is available is defined as the up-down direction D1. Further, based on the direction viewed from the center point of the spreader 1 in plan view, the left-right direction D2 and the front-back direction D3 are defined. That is, the traveling direction of the spreader 1 when moving forward is in front of the front-back direction D3, and the traveling direction of the spreader 1 when moving backward is behind the front-back direction D3. However, these directions are not intended to limit the usage direction (direction during use) of the spreader 1.

[0031] In addition, in the present disclosure, "parallel" means that for two straight lines on one plane, in addition to the case where they do not intersect no matter how far they are extended, that is, the angle between them is exactly 0 degrees (or 180 degrees), the angle between them is within an error range of several degrees (for example, less than 10 degrees) with respect to 0 degrees. Similarly, "orthogonal" in the present disclosure means that in addition to the case where the angle between them intersects exactly at 90 degrees, the angle between them is within an error range of several degrees (for example, less than 10 degrees) with respect to 90 degrees.

[0032] [2] Details of the spreader Next, the configuration of the spreader 1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 5 to 10. FIG. 1 is an external view of the spreader 1 as seen from the left front side, and FIG. 2 is an external view of the back of the spreader 1 as seen from the back side (rear). FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing the main configuration of the spreader 1. FIG. 6 is an external view of the left side of the spreader 1 as seen from the left side, FIG. 7 is an external view of the right side of the spreader 1 as seen from the right side, and FIG. 8 is an external view of the upper surface of the spreader 1 as seen from above. FIG. 9 is an external view of the back of the spreader 1 as seen from the back side (rear). FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the spreader 1 as seen from the obliquely rear side, and a partially enlarged view is shown inside the blower.

[0033] The spreader 1 includes a machine body 10, a traveling unit 11, a support frame 3, and a spreading device 4. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the spreader 1 further includes a positioning device 2, a control device 7, an air flow generating unit 5, a user interface 61, an obstacle detection device 62, a power source 63, a tank 64 (see FIG. 7), a display 65, etc. Further, the spreader 1 further includes a communication terminal, a fuel tank, a battery, etc. In this embodiment, the structures of the spreader 1 such as the machine body 10 and the support frame 3 are basically made of metal, and the material is selected according to the required strength, weather resistance, etc. However, the structure of the spreader 1 is not limited to being made of metal, and for example, resin or wood may be appropriately used.

[0034] The airframe 10 is the main body of the spraying machine 1, and most components of the spraying machine 1 such as the positioning device 2 and the support frame 3 are supported thereon. The airframe 10 has a frame 101 (see FIG. 2) and a cover 102. The frame 101 is a member that constitutes the skeleton of the airframe 10 and supports heavy objects such as the power source 63 and the tank 64, for example. The cover 102 is a member that constitutes the outer shell of the airframe 10 and is attached to the frame 101 so as to cover at least a part of the frame 101 and the members mounted on the frame 101. On the rear surface (back surface) and a part of the right side surface of the airframe 10, the frame 101 is not covered by the cover 102 and the frame 101 is exposed. The cover 102 is divided into a plurality of parts, and these plurality of parts are configured to be individually removable from the frame 101. Therefore, the cover 102 can be removed only the part corresponding to a part of the device (member) such as the power source 63, for example, and thereby a part of the device (member) such as the power source 63 can be exposed.

[0035] As described above, the airframe 10 has a first block 10L and a second block 10R that are arranged side by side in the left-right direction D2. The first block 10L and the second block 10R face each other with a space of a certain value or more in the left-right direction D2. In this embodiment, as an example, the first block 10L is located on the left side and the second block 10R is located on the right side. Therefore, the left side portion of the airframe 10 is constituted by the first block 10L, and the right side portion of the airframe 10 is constituted by the second block 10R. Furthermore, the airframe 10 has a connecting portion 10C that connects the first block 10L and the second block 10R. In a front view (seen from the front), the connecting portion 10C has a length along the left-right direction D2, and the first block 10L and the second block 10R each have a length along the up-down direction D1.

[0036] Here, since the connecting portion 10C connects the upper ends of the first block 10L and the second block 10R, in other words, the first block 10L and the second block 10R project downward from both ends (in the left-right direction D2) of the connecting portion 10C, respectively. As a result, the aircraft body 10 forms a portal-shaped structure that is open downward in addition to both sides in the front-rear direction D3 by the first block 10L, the second block 10R, and the connecting portion 10C. And inside the aircraft body 10, a space Sp1 is formed that is surrounded by the first block 10L, the second block 10R, and the connecting portion 10C on three sides and is open in the front-rear direction D3.

[0037] In short, as shown in FIG. 2, the aircraft body 10 forms a space Sp1 between the first block 10L and the second block 10R through which a crop V1 (a work object) to be worked on by the spraying device 4 (a working unit) (spraying work) passes. Specifically, based on the standard size of the crop V1 that is the object to be sprayed, the dimensions of each part of the aircraft body 10 are set so as to form a space Sp1 with a height and width greater than that. Therefore, for a crop V1 of standard size, the aircraft body 10 can allow the crop V1 to pass through the space Sp1 in a state where the crop V1 straddles the aircraft body 10 and there is a gap of a predetermined value or more so that the crop V1 does not contact the aircraft body 10. When the crop V1 is passing through the space Sp1, the first block 10L is located on the left side of the crop V1, the second block 10R is located on the right side of the crop V1, and the connecting portion 10C is located above the crop V1.

[0038] More specifically, in the present embodiment, the machine body 10 is configured to be substantially symmetric in the left-right direction D2. The first block 10L and the second block 10R are formed in a rectangular shape that is substantially the same size and shape in a side view. The first block 10L and the second block 10R each have a flat shape in the left-right direction D2, where the dimension in the left-right direction D2 is the smallest among the vertical direction D1, the left-right direction D2, and the front-rear direction D3. Further, the upper portions of the first block 10L and the second block 10R above the central portion in the vertical direction D1 are each formed in a tapered shape such that the dimension in the left-right direction D2 becomes smaller toward the upper end side. The connecting portion 10C is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view such that the dimension in the front-rear direction D3 is larger than the dimension in the left-right direction D2. The connecting portion 10C has a flat shape in the vertical direction D1, where the dimension in the vertical direction D1 is the smallest among the vertical direction D1, the left-right direction D2, and the front-rear direction D3.

[0039] In this way, the machine body 10 can be roughly divided into three parts (blocks): the first block 10L, the second block 10R, and the connecting portion 10C. And each of the first block 10L, the second block 10R, and the connecting portion 10C has a frame 101 and a cover 102. In other words, each of the first block 10L and the second block 10R has a frame 101 and a cover 102. Further, most components of the spraying machine 1 such as the positioning device 2 and the support frame 3 are dispersedly provided on the first block 10L, the second block 10R, and the connecting portion 10C.

[0040] The traveling unit 11 is a traveling device (vehicle body) that makes the spraying machine 1 travel, and is provided at the lower part of the machine body 10. By the traveling unit 11, the machine body 10 can travel (including turning) on the ground, and thus can move in the left-right direction D2 and the front-rear direction D3 within the farm field F1. By providing such a traveling unit 11 on the machine body 10, the spraying machine 1 can perform work (spraying work) while moving within the farm field F1.

[0041] The traveling unit 11 includes a pair of crawlers (tracks) 111L and 111R arranged in the left-right direction D2. The pair of crawlers 111L and 111R are arranged at a certain interval in the left-right direction D2, and a space Sp1 for allowing the crop V1, which is the object to be sprayed, to pass through is formed between the pair of crawlers 111L and 111R. That is, the left crawler 111L located on the left side of the space Sp1 and the right crawler 111R located on the right side of the space Sp1 face each other with the space Sp1 interposed therebetween. When the left crawler 111L and the right crawler 111R are not particularly distinguished, each crawler 111L and 111R is also simply referred to as "crawler 111". Further, the traveling unit 11 includes a motor 112 for driving the crawler 111. That is, the traveling unit 11 is a crawler-type (endless track type) traveling device that drives the spraying machine 1 by driving the endless belt-shaped crawler 111 with the motor 112.

[0042] Here, at least two motors 112 are provided corresponding to the pair of crawlers 111L and 111R. The left motor 112 for driving the left crawler 111L and the right motor 112 for driving the right crawler 111R can individually drive the crawler 111. In this embodiment, as an example, the motor 112 is a hydraulic motor (hydraulic actuator), and the crawler 111 is driven by the supply of hydraulic oil from a hydraulic pump. According to this configuration, even when the road surface condition of the farm field F1 is rough, the machine body 10 can travel relatively stably.

[0043] Here, the crawlers 111 and the motors 112 are provided at the lower parts of the first block 10L and the second block 10R, respectively. That is, the first block 10L has the left crawler 111L and the motor 112 that drives the crawler 111L, and the second block 10R has the right crawler 111R and the motor 112 that drives the crawler 111R. In the present embodiment, the pair of crawlers 111L, 111R and the pair of motors 112 are configured to be substantially symmetric in the left-right direction D2. Thus, since the pair of traveling units 11 are arranged apart from each other in the left-right direction D2 by the space Sp1, the spreader 1 can travel in a relatively stable posture in various road surface conditions of the farm field F1 including an inclined slope with a lateral inclination where either the left or right direction D2 is lower.

[0044] Here, the pair of crawlers 111L, 111R are driven by the power from the power source 63 in a state where independent speed change by a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission is possible. Therefore, the aircraft body 10 is in a forward state of going straight forward in the forward direction when the pair of crawlers 111L, 111R are driven at a constant speed in the forward direction, and is in a backward state of going straight backward in the backward direction when the pair of crawlers 111L, 111R are driven at a constant speed in the backward direction. Further, the aircraft body 10 is in a forward turning state of turning while moving forward when the pair of crawlers 111L, 111R are driven at different speeds in the forward direction, and is in a backward turning state of turning while moving backward when the pair of crawlers 111L, 111R are driven at different speeds in the backward direction. Also, the aircraft body 10 is in a pivot turning (in-place turning) state when either one of the pair of crawlers 111L, 111R is stopped and the other is driven, and is in a spin turning (ultra-in-place turning) state when the pair of crawlers 111L, 111R are driven at a constant speed in the forward and backward directions. Further, the aircraft body 10 is in a traveling stop state when the pair of crawlers 111L, 111R are stopped.

[0045] In addition, a power source 63 and the like are mounted on the first block 10L, and a tank 64 and the like are mounted on the second block 10R. In this way, by distributing and arranging the components of the spraying machine 1 on the first block 10L and the second block 10R of the airframe 10, the spraying machine 1 is designed to balance the balance in the left-right direction D2 and lower the center of gravity. As a result, the spraying machine 1 can travel stably on the slope of the farm field F1 and the like.

[0046] As described above, the positioning device 2 is a device that detects the current position and current orientation of the airframe 10. The positioning device 2 has at least an antenna 21. The antenna 21 receives GNSS signals and the like transmitted from the satellite 204. That is, the antenna 21 includes a position-specifying antenna for specifying the position of the airframe 10. Here, the antenna 21 is arranged on the upper surface (top surface) of the airframe 10 so as to easily receive signals (GNSS signals) from the satellite 204. In other words, the antenna 21 is arranged at a position higher than the highest position of the airframe 10. Further, the positioning device 2 includes an attitude detection unit and the like for detecting the attitude of the airframe 10.

[0047] In the present embodiment, the positioning device 2 further has an antenna 22 which is a second antenna, separate from the antenna 21 which is the first antenna. The positioning device 2 receives GNSS signals and the like with each of these two antennas 21 and 22. Here, the antenna 22 (second antenna) is arranged so as to be aligned in the front-rear direction D3 with respect to the antenna 21 (first antenna). Thereby, the positioning device 2 can transmit and receive signals (GNSS signals and the like) with each of the antennas 21 and 22. In particular, when the antennas 21 and 22 are position-specifying antennas, the current position can be specified at each of the front part and the rear part of the airframe 10, so that it is possible to specify including the direction (current orientation) of the airframe 10.

[0048] The support frame 3 is a member that is attached to one end of the longitudinal direction D3 of the aircraft body 10 and supports the spraying nozzles 41 of the spraying device 4 described later. In the present embodiment, the support frame 3 is attached to the rear end of the aircraft body 10. The support frame 3 has a portal shape similar to that of the aircraft body 10 and is arranged at a position overlapping the aircraft body 10 in a rear view (when viewed from the rear). That is, the support frame 3 includes a vertical frame 3L (first vertical frame) and a vertical frame 3R (second vertical frame) arranged side by side in the left-right direction D2, and a horizontal frame 3C that connects the upper ends of the vertical frame 3L and the vertical frame 3R. Thereby, the support frame 3 forms a portal shape that surrounds the left, right, and upper sides of the space Sp1 with the vertical frame 3L, the vertical frame 3R, and the horizontal frame 3C.

[0049] Specifically, the support frame 3 has a vertical frame 3L and a vertical frame 3R arranged side by side in the left-right direction D2. The vertical frame 3L and the vertical frame 3R face each other at an interval of a certain value or more in the left-right direction D2. In the present embodiment, as an example, the vertical frame 3L is located on the left side and the vertical frame 3R is located on the right side. Therefore, the vertical frame 3L is located behind the first block 10L of the aircraft body 10, and the vertical frame 3R is located behind the second block 10R of the aircraft body 10. And in a rear view (when viewed from the rear), the horizontal frame 3C has a length along the left-right direction D2, and the vertical frame 3L and the vertical frame 3R each have a length along the up-down direction D1.

[0050] Here, since the horizontal frame 3C connects the upper ends of the vertical frames 3L and 3R, in other words, the vertical frames 3L and 3R project downward from both ends (in the left-right direction D2) of the horizontal frame 3C. Thus, the support frame 3 includes a horizontal frame 3C having a length along the left-right direction D2, and a pair of vertical frames 3L and 3R each having a length along the up-down direction D1 and projecting downward from both ends of the horizontal frame 3C. Thereby, the support frame 3 forms a portal-shaped configuration that is open downward in addition to both sides in the front-rear direction D3 by the vertical frames 3L, the vertical frames 3R, and the horizontal frame 3C. And inside the support frame 3, a space Sp1 is formed that is surrounded by the vertical frames 3L, the vertical frames 3R, and the horizontal frame 3C on three sides and is open in the front-rear direction D3.

[0051] In short, as shown in FIG. 2, the support frame 3 forms a space Sp1 through which a crop V1 (a work object, a spraying object), which is the object of work (spraying work) by a spraying device 4 (a working part), passes between a pair of vertical frames 3L and 3R. Specifically, based on the standard size of the crop V1 that is the object to be sprayed, the dimensions of each part of the support frame 3 are set so as to form a space Sp1 with a height and width greater than that. Therefore, for a crop V1 of standard size, the support frame 3 can allow the crop V1 to pass through in the space Sp1 with a predetermined value or more of an interval so that the crop V1 does not contact the support frame 3 in a state of straddling the support frame 3. When the crop V1 is passing through the space Sp1, the vertical frame 3L is located on the left side of the crop V1, the vertical frame 3R is located on the right side of the crop V1, and the horizontal frame 3C is located above the crop V1.

[0052] More specifically, in the present embodiment, the support frame 3 is configured to be substantially symmetric in the left-right direction D2. The vertical frames 3L and 3R have a cylindrical shape with a circular cross-section. In the present embodiment, as an example, the vertical frames 3L and 3R are each configured by arranging two cylindrical members side by side. The horizontal frame 3C has a rectangular tube shape with a rectangular cross-section. Here, the vertical frames 3L and 3R are firmly fixed to the horizontal frame 3C by appropriate fixing means such as connecting fittings, bracing fittings, or welding. Therefore, the vertical frames 3L and 3R maintain a state perpendicular to the horizontal frame 3C respectively. In other words, in a rear view, the corners between the vertical frame 3L and the horizontal frame 3C, and the corners between the vertical frame 3R and the horizontal frame 3C are each at a right angle.

[0053] Further, in the present embodiment, the support frame 3 is supported by the aircraft 10 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis Ax1 while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the pair of vertical frames 3L, 3R and the horizontal frame 3C. The rotation axis Ax1 is an axis passing through the fulcrum portion 31 provided on the horizontal frame 3C and extending along the front-rear direction D3. That is, the support frame 3 that supports the working portion (spray nozzle 41) is supported by the aircraft 10 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis Ax1 extending along the front-rear direction D3. Here, the "rotation axis" as used in the present disclosure means a virtual axis (straight line) that is the center of the rotational movement of the rotating body. That is, the rotation axis Ax1 is a virtual axis without a physical entity. However, the rotation axis Ax1 may be a member with a physical entity such as a shaft pin, for example.

[0054] The spraying device 4 has a spray nozzle 41 and the like. The spraying device 4 performs a spraying operation of spraying the chemical liquid, which is the spraying material stored in the tank 64, onto the crop V1, which is the object to be sprayed. The spray nozzle 41 is supported by the support frame 3 and is the part where the spraying of the spraying material is performed. In the present embodiment, as an example, the spray nozzle 41 is a discharge port (spraying portion) that actually serves as the outlet of the spraying material (chemical liquid). The spraying device 4 has a plurality of spray nozzles 41 (12 in this embodiment as an example).

[0055] The spraying device 4 includes, in addition to the spray nozzles 41, a spray pipe 42, a pump 43 (see Fig. 7), a valve 44 (see Fig. 7), and spraying pipes, etc. The spray nozzle 41 is an example of a working unit that performs an operation (spraying operation), and is supported by the support frame 3. Since the support frame 3 is supported by the airframe 10, the spray nozzle 41 (working unit) is indirectly supported by the airframe 10. In the present embodiment, the spray nozzle 41 is attached to the spray pipe 42. The spray pipe 42 is connected to the pump 43 via the valve 44 by a spraying pipe. The pump 43 pumps the spraying material (chemical solution) stored in the tank 64 into the spray pipe 42. The valve 44 is an electronically controlled valve unit such as an electromagnetic valve, and changes the pressure (spraying pressure) and spraying pattern when spraying the spraying material. Thereby, the chemical solution in the tank 64 is supplied to the spray nozzle 41 via the valve 44 and the spray pipe 42 by the pump 43, and is sprayed from the spray nozzle 41. Here, a mist-like chemical solution is discharged (sprayed) from the spray nozzle 41.

[0056] More specifically, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the spray pipe 42 is a pipe having a length in the vertical direction D1, and two are attached to each of the vertical frames 3L and 3R of the support frame 3. That is, in the present embodiment, the spraying device 4 has a total of four spray pipes 42. The two (a pair) of spray pipes 42 attached to each of the vertical frames 3L and 3R are arranged side by side in the left-right direction D2. Each spray pipe 42 allows the chemical solution as the spraying material injected from its upper end to flow downward through the pipe and be discharged from three spray nozzles 41. Three spray nozzles 41 are attached to each spray pipe 42, and thereby the spraying device 4 has a total of twelve spray nozzles 41.

[0057] Each spraying nozzle 41 is attached to the corresponding spray pipe 42 so as to be positionally changeable in the vertical direction D1. As a result, each spraying nozzle 41 can change the interval between adjacent spraying nozzles 41 and the height position relative to the spray pipe 42 according to the object to be sprayed (crop V1). Further, each spraying nozzle 41 is attached so as to be changeable in the vertical direction D1 and the horizontal direction D2 with respect to the aircraft 10, as well as the orientation (angle) according to the object to be sprayed. However, in the spraying device 4, the number of spraying nozzles 41 provided in each spray pipe 42 and the like can be appropriately changed according to the type of the object to be sprayed (crop V1) or the length of each spray pipe 42 and the like.

[0058] The airflow generation unit 5 generates an airflow for transporting the sprayed material (chemical solution) discharged from the spraying nozzle 41. The airflow generation unit 5 is supported by the support frame 3 together with the spraying nozzle 41. That is, the sprayer 1 according to the present embodiment is an air assist type sprayer that sprays the sprayed material (chemical solution) using the airflow generated by the airflow generation unit 5. Thereby, the sprayer 1 can efficiently spray the sprayed material (chemical solution) even onto an object to be sprayed (crop V1) located at a relatively distant position from the spraying nozzle 41.

[0059] The airflow generation unit 5 includes a duct 51 and a blower 52. The duct 51 forms a flow path for flowing air along the vertical direction D1. The blower 52 causes air to flow through the duct 51. The airflow generation unit 5 forms an airflow with the air blown out from the blowout holes 511 (see FIG. 10) formed in the duct 51. In short, the airflow generation unit 5 generates a flow of air (airflow) flowing outward from the blowout holes 511 by blowing out the air sent into the duct 51 by the blower 52 through the flow path in the duct 51. According to this configuration, a stable airflow can be generated over a relatively wide range. Further, the airflow generation unit 5 can adjust the air volume of the airflow by controlling the blower 52. And the airflow generation unit 5 can adjust the transport distance of the sprayed material by adjusting the air volume, and the larger the air volume, the more possible it is to transport the sprayed material to a distant place. Therefore, in the sprayer 1 according to the present embodiment, the spraying range of the sprayed material by the spraying device 4 can be adjusted.

[0060] More specifically, the duct 51 is a pipe having a length in the vertical direction D1, and is attached one by one to each of the vertical frames 3L and 3R of the support frame 3. That is, in the present embodiment, the airflow generation unit 5 has a total of two ducts 51. A plurality of blowout holes 511 are formed on each of the left side surface and the left side surface of the duct 51 so as to be arranged in a line along the vertical direction D1. Further, two spraying pipes 42 of the spraying device 4 are fixed to each duct 51.

[0061] Here, the duct 51, the two spraying pipes 42 attached thereto, and a total of six spraying nozzles 41 attached to these two spraying pipes 42 are symmetrically arranged in the left - right direction D2. Among the two spraying pipes 42, the three spraying nozzles 41 provided on the left - hand spraying pipe 42 discharge the sprayed material (chemical solution) forward to the left, and the three spraying nozzles 41 provided on the right - hand spraying pipe 42 discharge the sprayed material (chemical solution) forward to the right. Therefore, the atomized sprayed material discharged from the left - hand spraying nozzles 41 is carried to the left on the airflow blowing out from the duct 51 to the left, and the atomized sprayed material discharged from the right - hand spraying nozzles 41 is carried to the right on the airflow blowing out from the duct 51 to the right.

[0062] Thus, among the plurality (12) of spraying nozzles 41, the three spraying nozzles 41 provided on the left - most spraying pipe 42 spray the chemical solution left - ward toward the crop V1 located outside the left side of the aircraft body 10. Among the plurality of spraying nozzles 41, the three spraying nozzles 41 provided on the left - inner spraying pipe 42 adjacent to the left - most spraying pipe 42 spray the chemical solution right - ward toward the crop V1 located in the inner space Sp1 of the aircraft body 10. Among the plurality of spraying nozzles 41, the three spraying nozzles 41 provided on the right - most spraying pipe 42 spray the chemical solution right - ward toward the crop V1 located outside the right side of the aircraft body 10. Among the plurality of spraying nozzles 41, the three spraying nozzles 41 provided on the right - inner spraying pipe 42 adjacent to the right - most spraying pipe 42 spray the chemical solution left - ward toward the crop V1 located in the inner space Sp1 of the aircraft body 10.

[0063] With the above configuration, in the spraying device 4, the two spraying pipes 42 and the six spraying nozzles 41 provided on the vertical frame 3L of the support frame 3 function as the left spraying unit. Also, the two spraying pipes 42 and the six spraying nozzles 41 provided on the vertical frame 3R of the support frame 3 function as the right spraying unit. And the pair of left and right spraying units are arranged behind the machine body 10 with an interval (space Sp1) allowing the passage of the crop V1 between them in a state where spraying in the left-right direction D2 is possible.

[0064] Also, in the spraying device 4, the plurality of (12) spraying nozzles 41 are divided into a plurality of systems and are configured to be controllable for each system. In this embodiment, as an example, the six spraying nozzles 41 provided on the two inner spraying pipes 42 in the left-right direction D2 among the four spraying pipes 42 are classified as the first system, the three spraying nozzles 41 provided on the leftmost spraying pipe 42 are classified as the second system, and the three spraying nozzles 41 provided on the rightmost spraying pipe 42 are classified as the third system. Therefore, the spraying pattern by the spraying device 4 includes a full spraying pattern in which the spraying material (chemical liquid) is sprayed from all the spraying nozzles 41 and a limited spraying pattern in which the spraying direction is limited. The limited spraying patterns include a first spraying pattern in which only the six spraying nozzles 41 of the first system spray, a second spraying pattern in which only the three spraying nozzles 41 of the second system spray, and a third spraying pattern in which only the three spraying nozzles 41 of the third system spray. Further, the limited spraying patterns include a fourth spraying pattern in which only the nine spraying nozzles 41 of the first and second systems spray, a fifth spraying pattern in which only the nine spraying nozzles 41 of the first and third systems spray, and a sixth spraying pattern in which only the six spraying nozzles 41 of the second and third systems spray.

[0065] The spraying device 4 is controlled by the control device 7, and the above-described plurality of spraying patterns (a total of six patterns including the full spraying pattern and the six limited spraying patterns) can be appropriately switched. At least the valves 44 of the spraying device 4 are provided for each system of the plurality of spraying nozzles 41. In this embodiment, three valves 44 are provided to correspond to three systems (the first system, the second system, and the third system). These plurality (here three) of valves 44 are individually controlled by the control device 7 to change the spraying pattern. Also, the spraying device 4 can change the spraying range of the sprayed material by changing the pressure (spraying pressure) when spraying the sprayed material for each system. Further, in this embodiment, since the spraying range of the sprayed material can also be adjusted by adjusting the air volume of the air flow generating unit 5, a more diverse spraying range can be realized according to the object to be sprayed (crop V1) or the sprayed material (chemical solution). The configuration of the spraying device 4 will be described in more detail in the section "[3] Configuration of the spraying device".

[0066] By the way, in this embodiment, as described above, the support frame 3 is not fixedly relative to the airframe 10, but is configured to be rotatable about the rotation axis Ax1. When the support frame 3 rotates, the plurality of spraying nozzles 41 supported by the support frame 3 also rotate about the rotation axis Ax1.

[0067] Also, the spraying machine 1 according to this embodiment does not include an actuator or the like for actively rotating the support frame 3. Therefore, the support frame 3 rotates only when an external force acts on the support frame 3. For example, when the airframe 10 travels on a laterally inclined slope, the support frame 3 rotates due to the self-weight of the support frame 3, that is, the gravity acting on the support frame 3. Here, if the support frame 3 and the members supported by the support frame 3 (such as the spraying nozzles 41, the spraying pipes 42, and the air flow generating unit 5) have a weight balance that is symmetric in the left-right direction D2, the support frame 3 is maintained in the neutral position as long as the airframe 10 is kept horizontal.

[0068] According to the rotatable support frame 3 as described above, for example, when the aircraft 10 is traveling on a laterally inclined slope, the support frame 3 rotates, making it less likely for unevenness in the spraying amount (spraying unevenness) of the sprayed material (chemical solution) by the spraying nozzle 41 to occur. In short, if the support frame 3 is fixedly supported on the aircraft 10, the aircraft 10 may tilt when traveling on a laterally inclined slope. And in this case, in the crop V1 (spraying target) that extends straight in the vertical direction from the ground (field F1), the distances from the spraying nozzle 41 are different between the upper and lower parts, and unevenness in the spraying amount of the sprayed material may occur. On the other hand, in the spraying machine 1 according to the present embodiment, when the support frame 3 rotates, the support frame 3 and the spraying nozzle 41 and the like supported by the support frame 3 can maintain the same posture as when traveling on a horizontal plane. Therefore, even in the crop V1 (spraying target) that extends straight in the vertical direction from the ground (field F1), the distances from the spraying nozzle 41 are less likely to vary between the upper and lower parts, and it is easy to suppress the occurrence of unevenness in the spraying amount of the sprayed material.

[0069] The user interface 61 is a device that performs at least one of outputting information to the user and receiving operations. Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the user interface 61 has a display unit 611 such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various types of information, and an operation unit 612 such as a touch panel, a knob, or a push button switch that receives operations. An operator, who is an example of a user, can perform various settings by operating the operation unit 612 according to the operation screen displayed on the display unit 611. Specifically, the operator operates the operation unit 612 of the user interface 61 to set the operating conditions of the spraying device 4 and the like. Examples of the operating conditions of the spraying device 4 include the pressure (injection pressure) and flow rate when spraying the sprayed material from the spraying nozzle 41.

[0070] The obstacle detection device 62 includes a first sensor 621, a second sensor 622, a third sensor 623, and a fourth sensor 624. The first sensor 621 to the fourth sensor 624 are all arranged facing the front of the aircraft 10. The first sensor 621 is arranged at the left front end of the upper surface of the aircraft 10, the second sensor 622 is arranged at the right front end of the upper surface of the aircraft 10, the third sensor 623 is arranged on the front surface of the first block 10L, and the fourth sensor 624 is arranged on the front surface of the second block 10R, respectively. Further, the obstacle detection device 62 further includes a fifth sensor 625 (see FIG. 6) and a sixth sensor 626 (see FIG. 7). The fifth sensor 625 and the sixth sensor 626 are both arranged facing the rear of the aircraft 10. The fifth sensor 625 is attached to the vertical frame 3L, and the sixth sensor 626 is attached to the vertical frame 3R.

[0071] Each of the first sensor 621 to the sixth sensor 626 includes, for example, a sensor such as an image sensor (camera), a sonar sensor, a radar, or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), and detects the surrounding situation of the aircraft 10. In this embodiment, as an example, each of the first sensor 621 to the sixth sensor 626 is a three-dimensional sensor that measures the distance to each ranging point (measurement object) in the measurement range by the TOF (Time Of Flight) method that measures the distance to the ranging point based on the round-trip time until light or sound reaches the ranging point and returns. The surrounding situation of the aircraft 10 includes, for example, the presence or absence of an object (such as an obstacle) in front of the traveling direction of the aircraft 10, and the position (distance and orientation) of the object, etc.

[0072] Further, the obstacle detection device 62 further includes a front contact sensor 627 and a rear contact sensor 628. The front contact sensor 627 is arranged in a pair on the left and right on the front side of the aircraft 10, and the rear contact sensor 628 is arranged in a pair on the left and right on the rear side of the aircraft 10. Each of the front contact sensor 627 and the rear contact sensor 628 detects an obstacle when the obstacle comes into contact. Each sensor transmits a detection signal to the control device 7 when an obstacle is detected.

[0073] The power source 63 is a drive source that supplies power to at least the traveling unit 11. The power source 63 has an engine such as a diesel engine, for example. The power source 63 drives a hydraulic pump and supplies hydraulic oil from the hydraulic pump to a motor 112 of the traveling unit 11 or the like, thereby driving the traveling unit 11 and the like.

[0074] The tank 64 stores a spraying material such as a chemical solution. The spraying material stored in the tank 64 is supplied to the spraying device 4 and sprayed from the spraying nozzles 41 of the spraying device 4. The chemical solution, which is the spraying material, can be replenished into the tank 64 from the outside. The capacity of the tank 64 is about 200 L as an example.

[0075] The display 65 is arranged on the upper surface of the aircraft body 10. The display 65 is formed in a columnar shape having a length in the vertical direction D1 as an example. The lighting state of the display 65 changes according to the operating state of the spraying machine 1 (such as the traveling state and the execution state of the spraying operation). Thereby, the operating state of the spraying machine 1 can be visually recognized even from the surroundings of the spraying machine 1.

[0076] The control device 7 mainly comprises a computer system having one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and one or more memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and executes various processes (information processing). In the present embodiment, the control device 7 is an integrated controller that controls the entire spraying machine 1 and is composed of, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit). However, the control device 7 may be provided separately from the integrated controller, or may mainly comprise one processor or a plurality of processors.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 7 includes an acquisition processing unit 71, a determination processing unit 72, an output processing unit 73, a threshold processing unit 74, a spraying processing unit 75, an automatic driving processing unit 76, and a storage unit 77. In this embodiment, as an example, the control device 7 is mainly composed of a computer system having one or more processors. By executing a control program by one or more processors, these multiple functional units (such as the acquisition processing unit 71) are realized. These multiple functional units included in the control device 7 may be distributed and provided in multiple enclosures, or may be provided in one enclosure.

[0078] The control device 7 is configured to be communicable with devices provided in each part of the aircraft 10. That is, at least the traveling unit 11, the positioning device 2, the spraying device 4, the airflow generation unit 5, the user interface 61, the obstacle detection device 62, the power source 63, the display 65, etc. are connected to the control device 7. Thereby, the control device 7 can control the traveling unit 11 and the spraying device 4, etc., and can acquire electrical signals from the positioning device 2 and the obstacle detection device 62, etc. The control device 7 may directly exchange various information (data) with each device, or may indirectly exchange information through a repeater or the like.

[0079] In addition to the above functional units, the control device 7 further includes an engine control unit and an HST (Hydro - Static Transmission) control unit that controls a hydrostatic continuously variable transmission. The engine control unit controls the engine (power source 63). The HST control unit controls the hydrostatic continuously variable transmission.

[0080] The acquisition processing unit 71 executes an acquisition process of acquiring an electrical signal (including data) from each device. In the present embodiment, the acquisition processing unit 71 acquires a detection signal from at least the pressure sensor 47 (see FIG. 11) of the spraying device 4 described later. The pressure sensor 47 is provided in the supply path 401 (see FIG. 11) of the spraying material (chemical solution) to the plurality of spraying nozzles 41, detects the pressure of the supply path 401 (the pressure of the spraying material in the supply path 401), and outputs a detection signal representing the detection result (pressure). Further, the acquisition processing unit 71 acquires remaining amount information regarding the remaining amount of the spraying material (chemical solution) stored in the tank 64 from a level sensor provided in the tank 64. Furthermore, the acquisition processing unit 71 acquires position information regarding the current position of the aircraft 10 from the positioning device 2.

[0081] The determination processing unit 72 monitors at least a part of the plurality of spraying nozzles 41 and determines whether or not clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. That is, clogging may occur in at least a part of the plurality (12 in the present embodiment) of spraying nozzles 41 of the spraying device 4. The "clogging" here means that, for example, components in the spraying material (chemical solution) or other foreign substances adhere to the spraying nozzle 41, etc., and the passage of the spraying material through the spraying nozzle 41 deteriorates. When a filter is attached to the spraying nozzle 41, clogging of the filter may cause clogging of the spraying nozzle 41. That is, when clogging has occurred in the spraying nozzle 41, it includes the case where no spraying material is sprayed from the spraying nozzle 41 and the case where the spraying amount of the spraying material from the spraying nozzle 41 has decreased. In the present embodiment, as an example, the determination processing unit 72 monitors all of the plurality of spraying nozzles 41, and if clogging has occurred in even one of the plurality (here, 12) of spraying nozzles 41 as the monitoring target, it determines that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target.

[0082] In this embodiment, when the pressure in the supply path 401 of the spraying material to the monitoring target satisfies the determination condition, the determination processing unit 72 determines that a clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. That is, when a clogging occurs in the spraying nozzle 41, the amount of the spraying material (chemical solution) that should be discharged from the spraying nozzle 41 decreases, so basically the pressure in the supply path 401 increases. Therefore, the determination processing unit 72 determines whether the pressure in the supply path 401 (the pressure of the spraying material in the supply path 401) satisfies the determination condition based on the detection signal of the pressure sensor 47 acquired by the acquisition processing unit 71, and when the determination condition is satisfied, it determines that a clogging has occurred. The "determination condition" mentioned here is, for example, that the pressure in the supply path 401 is equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure, the state of being equal to or higher than the predetermined pressure continues for a predetermined time, or the fluctuation range of the pressure in the supply path 401 is equal to or larger than a predetermined range, or a combination thereof, etc. In this embodiment, as an example, it is determined that the pressure in the supply path 401 is equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure as the determination condition. That is, when the pressure in the supply path 401 is equal to or higher than the predetermined pressure as the determination threshold, the determination processing unit 72 determines that a clogging has occurred in the monitoring target.

[0083] The output processing unit 73 executes output processing for outputting various information according to the determination result of the determination processing unit 72. In this embodiment, the output processing unit 73 outputs at least clogging position information regarding the position of the aircraft 10 when a clogging occurs in the monitoring target. That is, when the determination processing unit 72 determines that a clogging has occurred in any one of the spraying nozzles 41 while the aircraft 10 is traveling at a certain point in the field F1, the output processing unit 73 outputs information (clogging position information) regarding the said point. Here, the output mode in the output processing unit 73 may be means such as writing to a non-temporary recording medium such as the storage unit 77, displaying on a display 65, etc., outputting an alarm sound, or transmitting to another terminal, or a combination thereof.

[0084] The threshold processing unit 74 executes a threshold setting process for setting a determination threshold used in the determination by the determination processing unit 72. In the present embodiment, since it is determined that the pressure in the supply path 401 is equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure, the "predetermined pressure" compared with the pressure in the supply path 401 is an example of the determination threshold. However, it is not limited to this example. For example, when it is determined that the state where the pressure in the supply path 401 is equal to or higher than the predetermined pressure continues for a predetermined time, at least one of the "predetermined pressure" and the "predetermined time" becomes the determination threshold. Further, when it is determined that the fluctuation range of the pressure in the supply path 401 is equal to or larger than a predetermined range, the "predetermined range" becomes the determination threshold.

[0085] Here, the threshold processing unit 74 enables manual setting of the determination threshold, for example, by setting the determination threshold according to an operation of a user (operator) on the user interface 61 or the like. As an example, when the user prioritizes the man-hours of the spraying operation (the time required for the spraying operation), the user sets the determination threshold high to make it difficult to determine that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. On the contrary, when the user prioritizes the reliability (spraying amount) of the spraying operation, the user sets the determination threshold low to make it easy to determine that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. That is, the threshold processing unit 74 sets the determination threshold used when determining whether or not clogging has occurred in the monitoring target according to the operation of the user. As a result, the user can arbitrarily set the sensitivity of determining at what degree of clogging it is determined that clogging has occurred.

[0086] Further, the threshold processing unit 74 may enable automatic setting of the determination threshold by setting the determination threshold according to, for example, the situation (operation status) of the spraying machine 1. Here, the situation of the spraying machine 1 refers to the current position of the spraying machine 1 (including the position on the target path) or the remaining amount of the sprayed material, etc. As an example, when the distance from the current position of the spraying machine 1 to the end position of the automatic driving is short, the threshold processing unit 74 sets the determination threshold high to make it difficult to determine that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. On the contrary, when the distance from the current position of the spraying machine 1 to the end position of the automatic driving is long, the threshold processing unit 74 sets the determination threshold low to make it easy to determine that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. That is, the threshold processing unit 74 sets the determination threshold used when determining whether clogging has occurred in the monitoring target according to the situation of the spraying machine 1. Thereby, an appropriate determination threshold can be automatically set according to the situation of the spraying machine 1.

[0087] The spraying processing unit 75 performs spraying control processing related to the operations (spraying operations) of the spraying device 4, the airflow generation unit 5, etc. Specifically, when the spraying machine 1 starts automatic driving at the work start position, the spraying processing unit 75 outputs a switching signal for switching the spraying pattern to the spraying device 4 based on the control information included in the predetermined target path. When the spraying device 4 receives the switching signal, it executes the spraying operation in a predetermined spraying pattern. As a result, the plurality of spraying nozzles 41 in the spraying device 4 perform spraying of the sprayed material at least during the automatic driving of the aircraft 10.

[0088] Here, in the spraying machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the spraying processing unit 75 operates according to the determination result of the determination processing unit 72. Specifically, during the spraying operation of the sprayed material (chemical solution) by the spraying device 4, when the determination processing unit 72 determines that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target, the spraying processing unit 75 causes the spraying device 4 to stop the spraying operation of the sprayed material. That is, the spraying processing unit 75 stops the spraying of the sprayed material when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target.

[0089] The automatic driving processing unit 76 causes the aircraft 10 to automatically drive along the target path in the farm field F1 based on the positioning information acquired from the positioning device 2 and the like. Specifically, the automatic driving processing unit 76 automatically drives the traveling unit 11 along the target path based on the positioning information including the position and orientation of the aircraft 10 measured by the positioning device 2. For example, when the positioning information is in a state where RTK positioning is possible and the operator presses the start button (automatic driving start instruction) on the operation screen of the operation terminal 201, the operation terminal 201 outputs an automatic driving start instruction (work start instruction) to the spraying machine 1. When the automatic driving processing unit 76 acquires the automatic driving start instruction from the operation terminal 201, it starts the automatic driving of the spraying machine 1 based on the positioning information of the aircraft 10 measured by the positioning device 2. As a result, the spraying machine 1 starts automatic driving along the target path and starts the spraying operation by the spraying device 4.

[0090] The storage unit 77 is a non-temporary recording medium composed of, for example, a RAM or an external memory, and stores various information. In the present embodiment, the output mode of the output processing unit 73 includes at least writing (clogging position information) to the storage unit 77. Therefore, the storage unit 77 stores at least information (clogging position information) regarding the current position of the aircraft 10 when clogging occurs in the spraying nozzle 41 as the monitoring target. Further, the storage unit 77 stores logs related to the determination results of the determination processing unit 72, such as the time and number of times when clogging occurred in the spraying nozzle 41. Furthermore, the storage unit 77 also stores information such as the target path used for the automatic driving of the spraying machine 1.

[0091] The communication terminal is a communication interface for connecting the spraying machine 1 to a communication network by wire or wirelessly and performing data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with external devices such as the operation terminal 201 and the server 202 via the communication network. Electronic devices such as the positioning device 2, the control device 7, and the communication device are connected to a battery and can operate even when the power source 63 is stopped.

[0092] [3] Configuration of the Spraying Device Next, the configuration of the spraying device 4 of the sprayer 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 schematically shows the configuration of the spraying device 4. In FIG. 11, the solid line indicates the path (flow path) through which the sprayed material (chemical solution) passes, and the arrow of the dashed line indicates the path of the electrical signal.

[0093] In the sprayer 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the spraying device 4 includes a plurality (12) of spraying nozzles 41, four spraying pipes 42, a pump 43, three valves 44, and spraying pipes and the like. Further, the spraying device 4 includes a water stop and drain valve 45, a discharge side flow meter 46, a pressure sensor 47, a pressure gauge 403, and the like. In FIG. 11, the illustration of a filter, a manual adjustment valve, etc. provided in the spraying pipe is appropriately omitted.

[0094] The four spraying pipes 42 include a first spraying pipe 421 (outer left) located at the leftmost end, a second spraying pipe 422 (inner left) located on the left inner side, a third spraying pipe 423 (inner right) located on the right inner side, and a fourth spraying pipe 424 (outer right) located at the rightmost end. And three spraying nozzles 41 are provided in each of these first to fourth spraying pipes 421 to 424, and the sprayed material (chemical solution) supplied to each spraying pipe 42 is sprayed (discharged) from the three spraying nozzles 41 provided in the spraying pipe 42. The six spraying nozzles 41 provided in the second spraying pipe 422 and the third spraying pipe 423 are classified into the first system, the three spraying nozzles 41 provided in the first spraying pipe 421 are classified into the second system, and the three spraying nozzles 41 provided in the fourth spraying pipe 42 are classified into the third system.

[0095] Here, the spraying pipe includes a tank path 400 that serves as a path (flow path) for the sprayed material from the tank 64 to the pump 43, a supply path 401 that serves as a path (flow path) for the sprayed material from the pump 43 to the spraying pipe 42, and a return path 402 that serves as a path (flow path) for the sprayed material from the supply path 401 to the tank 64. That is, in this embodiment, between the tank 64 and the spraying pipe 42, a supply path 401 that serves as a path on the discharge side of the sprayed material and a return path 402 that serves as a path on the return side of the sprayed material are provided in parallel. The supply path 401 branches into three systems midway from one pump 43 and is connected to three spraying pipes 42. On the other hand, the three return paths 402 connected to the three supply paths 401 merge into one and are connected to one tank 64.

[0096] A water stop and drain valve 45 is provided in the tank path 400. The water stop and drain valve 45 can block the space between the tank 64 and the pump 43 and discharge (drain) the sprayed material in the tank 64 to the outside. The pump 43 is electrically connected to the control device 7 and is controlled by the control device 7 (spraying processing unit 75). On the other hand, a discharge side flow meter 46 is provided in the supply path 401 on the discharge side of the pump 43. The discharge side flow meter 46 detects the flow rate of the sprayed material (chemical solution) discharged from the pump 43. The discharge side flow meter 46 is, for example, an electromagnetic flow meter, and outputs a flow rate signal representing the detection result to the control device 7 (acquisition processing unit 71). Also, the pressure gauge 403 is, for example, an analog gauge and is provided in the supply path 401 on the discharge side of the pump 43. The pressure gauge 403 is arranged between the pump 43 and the discharge side flow meter 46 and displays the pressure of the sprayed material discharged from the pump 43 (the pressure of the supply path 401).

[0097] The three valves 44 are provided for each system of the plurality of spraying nozzles 41 as described above, and in this embodiment, they correspond to three systems (the first system, the second system, and the third system). These plurality (three) of valves 44 are individually controlled by the control device 7 (spraying processing unit 75) to change the spraying pattern. That is, the three valves 44 include a first valve 441 provided in a branch path connected to the spraying pipe 42 (422, 423) of the first system in the supply path 401, a second valve 442 provided in a branch path connected to the spraying pipe 42 (421) of the second system in the supply path 401, and a third valve 443 provided in a branch path connected to the spraying pipe 42 (424) of the third system in the supply path 401. Each valve 44 is a three-way solenoid valve that selectively connects the supply path 401 connected to the pump 43 to the spraying pipe 42 or the return path 402. And these first to third valves 441 to 443 are electrically connected to the control device 7 and are individually controlled by the control device 7 (spraying processing unit 75).

[0098] The pressure sensor 47 detects the pressure of the supply path 401 from which the spraying material (chemical liquid) is discharged from the pump 43. The pressure sensor 47 outputs a pressure signal representing the detection result to the control device 7 (acquisition processing unit 71). The pressure sensor 47 is provided on the downstream side of the discharge-side flow meter 46 in the supply path 401 and on the upstream side of the three valves 44. That is, the pressure sensor 47 is directly connected to the branch point of the three systems of the supply path 401 and detects the pressure of the spraying material at the branch point. Therefore, it is possible to detect the pressure of the supply path 401 branched into a plurality of systems (three systems in this embodiment) with one pressure sensor 47.

[0099] Also, as shown in FIG. 11, a stirring device 641 for stirring the spraying material (chemical liquid) in the tank 64 may be provided in the tank 64. The stirring device 641 is driven by a motor to perform the stirring operation of the spraying material. Thereby, the concentration of the spraying material is likely to be uniform, and clogging of the spraying nozzles 41 is less likely to occur.

[0100] According to the above configuration, in the state where the water stop and drainage valve 45 is open and the pump 43 is driven, the spraying pattern is changed by controlling the first to third valves 441 to 443. For example, when all of the first to third valves 441 to 443 connect the supply path 401 to the spraying pipe 42, the spraying pattern becomes the full spraying pattern in which the spraying material (chemical solution) is sprayed from all the spraying nozzles 41. On the other hand, when only the first valve 441 among the first to third valves 441 to 443 connects the supply path 401 to the spraying pipe 42, the spraying pattern becomes the first spraying pattern in which only the six spraying nozzles 41 of the first system perform spraying. Also, when all of the first to third valves 441 to 443 connect the supply path 401 to the return path 402, the spraying of the spraying material (chemical solution) from all the spraying nozzles 41 stops.

[0101] Here, among the spraying materials supplied from the pump 43 to the supply path 401, the portion that is not sprayed from the spraying pipe 42 is returned to the tank 64 through the return path 402. For example, when all of the first to third valves 441 to 443 connect the supply path 401 to the spraying pipe 42, the return amount of the spraying material to the tank 64 becomes 0 (zero). On the other hand, when only the first valve 441 among the first to third valves 441 to 443 connects the supply path 401 to the spraying pipe 42, the spraying material passing through the second and third valves 442 and 443 is returned to the tank 64 through the return path 402. Also, when all of the first to third valves 441 to 443 connect the supply path 401 to the return path 402, all of the spraying materials supplied from the pump 43 to the supply path 401 are returned to the tank 64 through the return path 402. Therefore, under normal conditions, the detection result of the pressure sensor 47, that is, the pressure at the branch point of the three systems of the supply path 401, remains constant regardless of the spraying pattern.

[0102] [4] Control method of the spraying machine Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, an example of a control method (hereinafter simply referred to as the "control method") of a working machine (spraying machine 1) mainly executed by the control device 7 will be described. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a target path R0 for automatic travel. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process related to clogging determination of the spray nozzle 41 among the control methods according to the present embodiment. However, the flowchart shown in FIG. 13 is merely an example, and processes may be added or omitted as appropriate, or the order of processes may be changed as appropriate.

[0103] Since the control method according to the present embodiment is executed by the control device 7 mainly configured by a computer system, in other words, it is embodied in a control program (hereinafter simply referred to as the "control program") of the working machine (spraying machine 1). That is, the control program according to the present embodiment is a computer program for causing one or more processors to execute each process related to the control method. Such a control program may be executed in cooperation by, for example, the control device 7 and the operation terminal 201.

[0104] Hereinafter, a situation where the spraying operation of the spraying material (chemical liquid) is performed while starting the automatic travel of the spraying machine 1 is assumed. However, until the automatic travel start position (automatic travel start position Ps1) in the field F1, for example, the operator manually travels the spraying machine 1. For example, the operator transports the spraying machine 1 from the storage (warehouse, etc.) to the field F1 using a transport vehicle, manually travels the spraying machine 1 to the automatic travel start position Ps1 in the field F1, and then starts the automatic travel of the spraying machine 1.

[0105] [4.1] Overall processing related to automatic travel As shown in FIG. 12 for example, the spreader 1 is capable of automatically traveling (autonomously traveling) along a preset target path R0 with respect to the field F1. That is, the spreader 1 automatically travels from the automatic travel start position Ps1 to the automatic travel end position Pg1 along the target path R0 including the work path R1 (work paths R1a to R1f) and the movement path R2. The automatic travel start position Ps1 is the start end of the target path R0 and is an example of the work start position of the spreading work by the spreader 1. The automatic travel end position Pg1 is the end end of the target path R0 and is an example of the work end position of the spreading work by the spreader 1. The work path R1 is a linear path along which the spreader 1 performs spreading work on the crop V1, and the movement path R2 is a path along which the spreader 1 moves between the crop rows Vr1 without performing spreading work. The movement path R2 includes, for example, a turning path and a straight path. In the example shown in FIG. 12, in the field F1, the crop V1 forming the crop rows Vr101 to Vr111 is arranged. In FIG. 12, the position where the crop V1 is planted (crop position) is represented by "Vp1".

[0106] Also, the spreader 1 performs automatic travel in a predetermined row order. For example, the spreader 1 travels across the crop row Vr101, then travels across the crop row Vr103, and then travels across the crop row Vr105. Thus, the spreader 1 performs automatic travel according to the preset order of the crop rows Vr1. The spreader 1 may travel one row at a time in the arrangement order of the crop rows Vr1, or may travel every other multiple rows.

[0107] Specifically, the automatic travel processing unit 76 of the control device 7 causes the travel unit 11 to start automatic travel by acquiring an automatic travel start instruction (work start instruction) from the operation terminal 201 in a state where the spreader 1 is located at the automatic travel start position Ps1. For example, based on a travel instruction operation of an operation device for manual operation by an operator, after manually traveling the spreader 1 to the automatic travel start position Ps1, when the operator presses the start button on the operation terminal 201, the operation terminal 201 outputs an automatic travel start instruction to the spreader 1.

[0108] The automatic driving processing unit 76 of the control device 7 acquires an automatic driving start instruction and route data from the operation terminal 201, and executes automatic driving along the target route R0 corresponding to the route data. At this time, the automatic driving processing unit 76 stores the route data acquired from the operation terminal 201 in the storage unit 77.

[0109] During the automatic driving of the spraying machine 1, the spraying processing unit 75 controls the spraying device 4 to open at least the water stop and drainage valve 45 and drive the pump 43, thereby performing a spraying operation of spraying the spraying material (chemical liquid) from the spraying nozzle 41 in a desired spraying pattern. Here, the spraying processing unit 75 controls the spraying device 4 based on the current position of the spraying machine 1 so that spraying is performed while the spraying machine 1 is traveling on the work route R1 (work routes R1a to R1f), and no spraying is performed while the spraying machine 1 is traveling on the movement route R2. Further, the spraying processing unit 75 switches the spraying pattern of the spraying device 4 depending on which of the work routes R1a to R1f the spraying machine 1 is traveling on so that the spraying material (chemical liquid) is sprayed toward the spraying target (crop V1).

[0110] Basically, the automatic driving processing unit 76 and the spraying processing unit 75 of the control device 7 execute automatic driving and spraying operations until the position of the spraying machine 1 coincides with the automatic driving end position Pg1. When the spraying machine 1 reaches the automatic driving end position Pg1, it is determined that the spraying machine 1 has finished the work, and the control device 7 ends the automatic driving and spraying operations.

[0111] Incidentally, the control method according to the present embodiment is a control method for a spraying machine 1 including an aircraft 10 capable of automatically traveling along a target path R0, and a plurality of spraying nozzles 41 supported by the aircraft 10 and configured to spray a spraying material at least during the automatic traveling of the aircraft 10. This control method includes determining whether or not clogging has occurred in at least a part of the plurality of spraying nozzles 41 as a monitoring target, and stopping the spraying of the spraying material when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. Thus, the control method according to the present embodiment includes a process related to the determination of clogging of the spraying nozzle 41 (also referred to as "nozzle clogging determination"). Here, the control method according to the present embodiment determines whether or not clogging has occurred in the spraying nozzle 41 at least during the automatic traveling of the spraying machine 1. The process related to the nozzle clogging determination will be described in detail in the section "[4.2] Process related to nozzle clogging determination".

[0112] As a result, for example, when clogging occurs in the spraying nozzle 41, at least the spraying machine 1 stops spraying the spraying material, making it difficult to continue the spraying operation of the spraying material in a state where the spraying nozzle 41 is clogged. As a result, it becomes difficult for the automatic traveling of the spraying machine 1 to end (i.e., for the spraying machine 1 to reach the automatic traveling end position Pg1) without the spraying of the spraying material being performed as planned, and it becomes easier for the spraying of the spraying material to be performed as planned.

[0113] [4.2] Process related to nozzle clogging determination As shown in FIG. 13, the control device 7 starts a process related to nozzle clogging determination (determination of clogging of the spraying nozzle 41) after step S2, triggered by being in the middle of automatic traveling (S1: Yes). Here, when the control device 7 receives an automatic traveling start instruction from the operation terminal 201 or the like in a state where the spraying machine 1 is located at the automatic traveling start position Ps1, it determines that it is in the middle of automatic traveling (S1: Yes) and proceeds to step S2. On the other hand, when the control device 7 has not received an automatic traveling start instruction from the operation terminal 201 or the like, or after the spraying machine 1 has reached the automatic traveling end position Pg1, the control device 7 determines that it is not in the middle of automatic traveling (S1: No).

[0114] In step S2, the threshold processing unit 74 of the control device 7 sets a determination threshold value used for nozzle clogging determination in the determination processing unit 72. In the present embodiment, since the "predetermined pressure" compared with the pressure of the supply path 401 is an example of the determination threshold value, the threshold processing unit 74 sets the value of the "predetermined pressure". Here, the threshold processing unit 74 sets the determination threshold value according to, for example, an operation of a user (operator) on the user interface 61 or the like. Alternatively, the threshold processing unit 74 may automatically set the determination threshold value according to, for example, the situation (operation status) of the spraying machine 1. As an example, when the distance from the current position of the spraying machine 1 to the automatic driving end position Pg1 is short, the threshold processing unit 74 sets the determination threshold value high.

[0115] In step S3, the acquisition processing unit 71 of the control device 7 acquires a pressure signal from the pressure sensor 47. Here, the pressure signal includes information regarding the pressure of the supply path 401 for the spraying material to the monitoring target (a plurality of spraying nozzles 41). That is, the pressure signal changes according to the pressure of the supply path 401.

[0116] In step S4, the determination processing unit 72 of the control device 7 determines whether or not clogging has occurred in at least a part of the plurality of spraying nozzles 41 as the monitoring target. At this time, when the pressure of the supply path 401 for the spraying material to the monitoring target satisfies the determination condition, the determination processing unit 72 determines that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. In the present embodiment, it is utilized that when clogging occurs in the spraying nozzle 41, the amount of the spraying material (chemical solution) that should be discharged from the spraying nozzle 41 decreases and the pressure of the supply path 401 increases, and the determination condition is that the pressure of the supply path 401 is equal to or higher than the predetermined pressure. Therefore, when the determination processing unit 72 determines based on the pressure signal that the pressure of the supply path 401 is equal to or higher than the determination threshold value (predetermined pressure) (S4: Yes), it determines that clogging has occurred in the spraying nozzle 41 that is the monitoring target, and shifts the process to step S5. On the other hand, when the determination processing unit 72 determines based on the pressure signal that the pressure of the supply path 401 is less than the determination threshold value (predetermined pressure) (S4: No), it determines that clogging has not occurred in the spraying nozzle 41 that is the monitoring target, and ends the series of processes related to the nozzle clogging determination.

[0117] In step S5, the output processing unit 73 of the control device 7 notifies that clogging has occurred in the spraying nozzle 41 by means of display on the display 65 or the like, output of an alarm sound, or a combination thereof. As a result, the operator (user) can know that clogging has occurred in the spraying nozzle 41 and can take appropriate measures.

[0118] In step S6, the spraying processing unit 75 of the control device 7 causes the spraying device 4 to stop the spraying operation of the sprayed material. Specifically, upon receiving the determination (S4: Yes) by the determination processing unit 72 that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target, the spraying processing unit 75 stops the spraying of the sprayed material from the spraying nozzle 41, for example, by stopping the pump 43 of the spraying device 4. That is, the spraying processing unit 75 stops the spraying of the sprayed material when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target.

[0119] In step S7, the output processing unit 73 of the control device 7 stores information regarding the current position of the aircraft 10 in the storage unit 77 as "clogging position information". That is, the output processing unit 73 writes to the storage unit 77 by outputting clogging position information regarding at least the position of the aircraft 10 (clogging occurrence position) when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target to the storage unit 77. As an example, when it is determined that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target at an intermediate position on the work path R1c in FIG. 12 (S4: Yes), the output processing unit 73 stores information specifying the intermediate position on the work path R1c in the storage unit 77 as clogging position information. Thus, the control method according to the present embodiment has the step of outputting clogging position information regarding the position of the aircraft 10 when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. Therefore, based on the clogging position information, it is possible to specify where the clogging of the spraying nozzle 41 has occurred.

[0120] In step S8, the automatic driving processing unit 76 of the control device 7 controls the traveling unit 11 to move the aircraft body 10 of the spraying machine 1 toward the retracted position. In step S9, the automatic driving processing unit 76 determines whether or not the aircraft body 10 has reached the retracted position. At this time, if the current position of the aircraft body 10 coincides with the retracted position, the automatic driving processing unit 76 determines that the aircraft body 10 has reached the retracted position (S9: Yes), and transfers the process to step S10 to stop the traveling unit 11. On the other hand, if the current position of the aircraft body 10 does not coincide with the retracted position, it is determined that the aircraft body 10 has not reached the retracted position (S9: No), and the automatic driving processing unit 76 transfers the process to step S8.

[0121] Therefore, when it is determined that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target (S4: Yes), the automatic driving processing unit 76 does not stop the aircraft body 10 at the clogging occurrence position, but rather automatically drives the aircraft body 10 of the spraying machine 1 to the retracted position with the spraying operation by the spraying device 4 temporarily stopped. Then, if the aircraft body 10 reaches the retracted position, the traveling unit 11 is stopped. Thus, the control method according to the present embodiment has the step of moving and stopping the aircraft body 10 to the retracted position with the spraying of the sprayed material stopped when clogging occurs in the monitoring target. Thereby, when clogging of the spray nozzle 41 occurs, the spraying machine 1 can be moved to the retracted position where the user (operator) can easily perform maintenance on the spray nozzle 41, improving the maintainability of the spray nozzle 41.

[0122] The retraction position preferably includes at least one of the start position of the working path R1 where the spraying machine 1 sprays the spraying material among the target path R0, the end position of the working path R1, the automatic driving start position Ps1 on the target path R0, and the automatic driving end position Pg1 on the target path R0. Here, the start position of the working path R1 referred to herein is the connection point with the movement path R2 where the aircraft 10 travels immediately before in each working path R1, and the end position of the working path R1 is the connection point with the movement path R2 where the aircraft 10 travels immediately after in each working path R1. In this way, by setting the retraction position excluding the intermediate position of the working path R1, it is possible for the user (operator) to move the spraying machine 1 to a retraction position where it is easier to maintain the spraying nozzle 41.

[0123] The retraction position is preferably selected from among a plurality of candidate positions based on the relationship with the position of the aircraft 10 when clogging occurs in the monitoring target. The plurality of candidate positions referred to herein include, for example, the start position of the working path R1, the end position of the working path R1, the automatic driving start position Ps1 on the target path R0, and the automatic driving end position Pg1 on the target path R0. As an example, among these plurality of candidate positions, the candidate position closest to the clogging occurrence position (when the aircraft 10 travels on the target path R0) is selected as the retraction position. Thereby, the time required for the aircraft 10 to move from the clogging occurrence position to the retraction position can be suppressed to be short, and an improvement in work efficiency can be expected.

[0124] The retraction position may be selected from among a plurality of candidate positions according to the operation of the user. The plurality of candidate positions referred to herein include, for example, the start position of the working path R1, the end position of the working path R1, the automatic driving start position Ps1 on the target path R0, and the automatic driving end position Pg1 on the target path R0. As an example, by the user (operator) operating the operation terminal 201 in advance to select an arbitrary candidate position among these plurality of candidate positions, the candidate position is selected as the retraction position. Thereby, it is possible for the user (operator) to move the spraying machine 1 to a retraction position desired by the user, and the maintainability of the spraying nozzle 41 is improved.

[0125] In step S11, the determination processing unit 72 of the control device 7 determines whether or not the clogging of the spraying nozzle 41 has been resolved. At this time, the determination processing unit 72 determines whether or not the clogging of the spraying nozzle 41 has been resolved, for example, in the same manner as in step S4, using the condition that the pressure in the supply path 401 is equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure. Therefore, when the determination processing unit 72 determines based on the pressure signal that the pressure in the supply path 401 is less than the determination threshold value (predetermined pressure), it determines that the clogging of the spraying nozzle 41 being monitored has been resolved (S11: Yes), and transfers the process to step S12. On the other hand, when the determination processing unit 72 determines based on the pressure signal that the pressure in the supply path 401 is equal to or higher than the determination threshold value (predetermined pressure), it determines that the clogging of the spraying nozzle 41 being monitored has not been resolved (S11: No), and transfers the process to step S10. However, the determination method in step S11 is not limited to this example. For example, after the operator (user) performs maintenance (such as cleaning, sweeping, or filter replacement) on the spraying nozzle 41, and using the completion of the maintenance operation on the operation terminal 201 or the like as a trigger, the determination processing unit 72 may determine that the clogging of the spraying nozzle 41 has been resolved (S11: Yes).

[0126] In step S12, the automatic travel processing unit 76 of the control device 7 controls the travel unit 11 to move the body 10 of the spraying machine 1 toward the clogging occurrence position. The clogging occurrence position is the position of the body 10 when it is determined that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target (S4: Yes), and is specified by the "clogging position information" stored in the storage unit 77 in step S7. In step S13, the automatic travel processing unit 76 determines whether or not the body 10 has reached the clogging occurrence position. At this time, if the current position of the body 10 matches the clogging occurrence position, the automatic travel processing unit 76 determines that the body 10 has reached the clogging occurrence position (S13: Yes), and transfers the process to step S14. On the other hand, if the current position of the body 10 does not match the clogging occurrence position, it determines that the body 10 has not reached the clogging occurrence position (S13: No), and the automatic travel processing unit 76 transfers the process to step S12.

[0127] In step S14, the spraying processing unit 75 of the control device 7 causes the spraying device 4 to resume the spraying operation of the sprayed material. Specifically, upon receiving that the aircraft 10 has reached the clogging occurrence position (S13: Yes), the spraying processing unit 75 drives, for example, the pump 43 of the spraying device 4 to resume the spraying of the sprayed material from the spray nozzles 41. As an example, when it is determined that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target at an intermediate position on the work path R1c in FIG. 12 (S4: Yes), the spraying processing unit 75 resumes the spraying of the sprayed material from the intermediate position (clogging occurrence position) on the work path R1c. After that, the control device 7 executes the spraying operation of the sprayed material while automatically driving the aircraft 10 along the target path R0.

[0128] Therefore, when it is determined that the clogging of the monitoring target has been resolved (S11: Yes), instead of immediately resuming the spraying operation, the aircraft 10 of the spraying machine 1 is automatically driven to the clogging occurrence position while keeping the spraying operation by the spraying device 4 suspended. Then, when the aircraft 10 reaches the clogging occurrence position, the spraying operation is resumed. In this way, the control method according to the present embodiment has the effect of resuming the spraying of the sprayed material from the position of the aircraft 10 when the clogging occurred in the monitoring target after the spraying of the sprayed material has been suspended due to the occurrence of clogging in the monitoring target. Thereby, even when clogging occurs in the spray nozzles 41 in the middle of the target path R0 and the spraying operation is interrupted, the spraying operation can be resumed from the middle of the target path R0, so that the spraying operation can be carried out along the entire target path R0.

[0129] With step S14, a series of processes related to nozzle clogging determination ends. The control device 7 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S1 to S14 above. Therefore, as long as the automatic driving continues (S1: Yes), the above-described processes related to nozzle clogging determination are executed.

[0130] [5] Modification Example Hereinafter, modification examples of Embodiment 1 will be listed. The modification examples described below can be applied in appropriate combinations.

[0131] The control device 7 in the present disclosure includes a computer system. The computer system mainly includes one or more processors and one or more memories as hardware. By the processor executing a program recorded in the memory of the computer system, the functions as the control device 7 in the present disclosure are realized. The program may be pre-recorded in the memory of the computer system, may be provided through a telecommunication line, or may be provided by being recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card, an optical disk, or a hard disk drive that can be read by the computer system. Also, some or all of the functional units included in the control device 7 may be configured by electronic circuits.

[0132] Also, it is not an essential configuration of the control device 7 that at least some of the functions of the control device 7 are integrated in one housing, and the components of the control device 7 may be provided distributed in a plurality of housings. Conversely, in the control device 7, functions distributed in a plurality of devices (for example, the control device 7 and the operation device 8) may be integrated in one housing. Further, at least some of the functions of the control device 7 may be realized by a cloud (cloud computing) or the like.

[0133] The spraying machine 1 is not limited to an orchard such as a vineyard or an apple orchard, and may be used for work in other fields F1 or work target areas other than the field F1. Further, the spraying material sprayed by the spraying machine 1 is not limited to a chemical solution, and may be, for example, water, fertilizer, a disinfectant solution or other liquid, or powder. Similarly, the spraying target object on which the spraying material is sprayed is not limited to grape fruit trees, and may be other crops or objects other than crops (including inorganic substances). Also, the spraying machine 1 is not limited to a drone that operates by automatic driving, and the spraying machine 1 may be configured to operate by the operation of a person (operator) (including remote operation), and may be, for example, a ride-on type (manned aircraft) on which an operator can board. Even in this case, an antenna 21 or the like is provided on the spraying machine 1 in order to grasp the current position of the spraying machine 1.

[0134] Also, multiple types of determination thresholds may be set. For example, when a first determination threshold and a second determination threshold (> the second determination threshold) are set, if the pressure in the supply path 401 is equal to or greater than the first determination threshold and less than the second determination threshold, the control device 7 may only give a notification indicating clogging of the spraying nozzle 41 without stopping the spraying operation. In this case, the control device 7 stops the spraying operation only when the pressure in the supply path 401 becomes equal to or greater than the second determination threshold. Further, in addition to or instead of the notification, the control device 7 may perform control to reduce the vehicle speed of the traveling unit 11, or control to change the spraying pattern, etc.

[0135] Also, when the determination processing unit 72 determines that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target, it may specify which spraying nozzle 41 among the plurality of spraying nozzles 41 has the clogging. For example, the determination processing unit 72 specifies which spraying nozzle 41 has the clogging based on the spraying pattern at the time when it is determined that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. As an example, during the spraying operation in the second spraying pattern in which only three spraying nozzles 41 of the second system perform spraying, if it is determined that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target, the determination processing unit 72 determines that clogging has occurred in any one of the three spraying nozzles 41 of the second system.

[0136] Also, the support frame 3 only needs to be attached to one end of the machine body 10 in the front-rear direction D3, and may be attached to the front of the machine body 10. In this case, the working unit (spraying nozzle 41) supported by the support frame 3 is also arranged in front instead of behind the machine body 10.

[0137] Also, the spraying machine 1 may include a pair of spraying devices 4 arranged in the front-rear direction D3. Thereby, the spraying machine 1 can execute the work (spraying work) in each of the pair of spraying devices 4 (working devices) arranged in the front-rear direction D3, and can improve the working efficiency compared to the case where the work is performed by only one of the spraying devices 4. Further, the spraying machine 1 may further include a rotation drive device that generates a rotational force for rotating the support frame 3 with respect to the machine body 10 around the rotation axis Ax1.

[0138] Further, the machine body 10 may have a first block 10L and a second block 10R arranged in the left-right direction D2, and the first block 10L and the second block 10R may be reversed left and right. That is, the first block 10L provided with the power source 63 etc. may be located on the right side, and the second block 10R provided with the user interface 61 etc. may be located on the left side.

[0139] Further, the traveling unit 11 is not limited to a crawler-type traveling device, and may be configured to have one or more wheels and travel by the rotation of the wheels, for example. Also, the traveling unit 11 is not limited to a configuration driven by a hydraulic motor, and may be configured to be driven by an electric motor, for example.

[0140] Further, the spraying machine 1 is not limited to an air assist type spraying machine as in Embodiment 1, and may be, for example, an electrostatic spraying method, or a method combining the air assist method and the electrostatic spraying method, etc. If it is a spraying machine 1 of the electrostatic spraying method, the airflow generating unit 5 can be omitted.

[0141] Further, the power source 63 is not limited to an engine, and may have a motor (electric motor), for example, or may be a hybrid power source including an engine and a motor.

[0142] Further, the spraying machine 1 may be configured such that the entire machine body 10 travels between a pair of adjacent crop rows Vr1 (working passage) instead of the machine body 10 having a portal shape. In this case, the spraying machine 1 travels along each working passage without straddling the crop row Vr1. In this case, the spraying device 4 performs the spraying operation by switching between a spraying pattern for spraying the chemical liquid in both the left-right direction D2, a spraying pattern for spraying the chemical liquid only to the left, and a spraying pattern for spraying the chemical liquid only to the right.

[0143] Further, the antennas 21, 22 are not limited to position identification antennas, and may be, for example, antennas for wireless communication. Furthermore, the antennas 21, 22 are not limited to reception, and may be for transmission, or for both reception and transmission.

[0144] In addition to or instead of the display unit 611, the user interface 61 may have means for presenting information to the user, for example, by voice output or the like. Further, at least one of the adjustment items (such as flow rate or pressure) may be automatically adjusted by the control device using the operation unit 612 of the user interface 61. In this case, the operation unit 612 can be omitted as appropriate, and the user interface 61 may only display the adjustment result on the display unit 611.

[0145] (Embodiment 2) As shown in FIG. 14, the spraying machine 1 according to this embodiment is different from the spraying machine 1 according to Embodiment 1 in that the spraying device 4 has a return-side flow meter 48. Hereinafter, for the same configurations as those in Embodiment 1, the same reference numerals will be given and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0146] The return-side flow meter 48 detects the flow rate of the sprayed material (chemical solution) returning to the tank 64 through the return path 402. The return-side flow meter 48 is, for example, an electromagnetic flow meter, and outputs a flow rate signal representing the detection result to the control device 7 (acquisition processing unit 71).

[0147] In the sprayer 1 according to this embodiment, instead of the detection result of the pressure sensor 47, the determination processing unit 72 determines whether or not clogging has occurred in the spray nozzle 41 based on the detection results of the discharge-side flowmeter 46 and the return-side flowmeter 48. As an example, when only the first valve 441 among the first to third valves 441 to 443 connects the supply path 401 to the spray pipe 42, the spray pattern is the first spray pattern in which only the six spray nozzles 41 of the first system perform spraying. In this first spray pattern, since the six spray nozzles 41 of the second and third systems do not perform spraying, 50% of the flow rate of the sprayed material discharged from the pump 43 returns to the tank 64 through the return path 402. Therefore, under normal conditions, the detection result of the return-side flowmeter 48 is 50% with respect to the detection result of the discharge-side flowmeter 46. On the other hand, when clogging occurs in any of the six spray nozzles 41 of the first system, the sprayed material that should be discharged from the spray nozzle 41 flows into the return path 402 through the second valve 442 and / or the third valve 443. As a result, since the flow rate of the return path 402 exceeds 50% of the flow rate of the supply path 401, it becomes possible to determine that clogging has occurred in the spray nozzle 41 based on the detection results of the discharge-side flowmeter 46 and the return-side flowmeter 48.

[0148] In this embodiment, the pressure sensor 47 may be omitted as appropriate. Further, the determination processing unit 72 may determine whether or not clogging has occurred in the spray nozzle 41 by still another means. The configuration according to Embodiment 2 (including modifications) can be adopted in appropriate combination with the various configurations (including modifications) described in Embodiment 1.

Explanation of Signs

[0149] 1 Sprayer 10 Machine body 41 Spray nozzle 72 Determination processing unit 75 Spraying processing unit R0 Target path R1 Working path Ps1 Automatic driving start position Pg1 Automatic driving end position

Claims

1. An aircraft capable of autonomous flight along a target path, and a plurality of spraying nozzles supported by the aircraft and configured to spray a spraying material at least during autonomous flight of the aircraft, the method for controlling a spraying machine comprising: determining whether clogging has occurred in at least a part of the plurality of spraying nozzles that are the monitoring targets; stopping the spraying of the spraying material when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target; determining that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target when the pressure in the supply path of the spraying material to the monitoring target satisfies a determination condition; identifying which of the plurality of spraying nozzles is clogged based on a spraying pattern indicating from which of the plurality of spraying nozzles the spraying material is to be sprayed; A method for controlling a spraying machine.

2. Determining that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target when the pressure in the supply path of the spraying material to the monitoring target satisfies a determination condition. The method for controlling a spraying machine according to Claim 1.

3. Further comprising outputting clogging position information regarding the position of the aircraft when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. The method for controlling a spraying machine according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. Further comprising moving and stopping the aircraft to a retreat position in a state where the spraying of the spraying material is stopped when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. The method for controlling a spraying machine according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

5. The retreat position includes at least one of a start position of a work path where the spraying machine sprays the spraying material, an end position of the work path, an autonomous flight start position on the target path, and an autonomous flight end position on the target path among the target path. The method for controlling a spraying machine according to Claim 4.

6. The retreat position is selected from among a plurality of candidate positions based on the relationship with the position of the aircraft when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target. The method for controlling a spraying machine according to Claim 4 or 5.

7. The retreat position is selected from among a plurality of candidate positions according to a user operation. The method for controlling a spraying machine according to Claim 4 or 5.

8. Further comprising resuming the spraying of the spraying material from the position of the aircraft when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target after clogging has occurred in the monitoring target and the spraying of the spraying material has been stopped. The method for controlling a spraying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. Further comprising setting a determination threshold value used when determining whether or not clogging has occurred in the monitoring target according to a user operation. The method for controlling a spraying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. Further comprising setting a determination threshold value used when determining whether or not clogging has occurred in the monitoring target according to the situation of the spraying machine. The method for controlling a spraying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A control program for a spraying machine for causing one or more processors to execute the method for controlling a spraying machine according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. An airframe capable of automatically traveling along a target path, A plurality of spraying nozzles supported by the airframe and performing spraying of a spraying material at least during automatic traveling of the airframe, A determination processing unit that monitors at least a part of the plurality of spraying nozzles and determines whether or not clogging has occurred in the monitoring target, A spraying processing unit that stops spraying of the spraying material when clogging has occurred in the monitoring target, and is provided with The determination processing unit is When the pressure in the supply path of the spraying material to the monitoring target satisfies the determination condition, it is determined that clogging has occurred in the monitoring target, Based on a spraying pattern indicating from which of the plurality of spraying nozzles the spraying material is sprayed, specifying which of the plurality of spraying nozzles is clogged. Spraying machine.

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